La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa seeks to restore its ties to the community

Brad Meyer

Published
5:48 pm CDT, Saturday, June 8, 2013

La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa officials say the facility has a new manager, a new management company and a new approach to business.

La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa officials say the facility has a new manager, a new management company and a new approach to business.

Photo: Thomas Hart Shelby

Photo: Thomas Hart Shelby

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La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa officials say the facility has a new manager, a new management company and a new approach to business.

La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa officials say the facility has a new manager, a new management company and a new approach to business.

Photo: Thomas Hart Shelby

La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa seeks to restore its ties to the community

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The management staff at Lake Conroe’s largest resort destination and recreational facility say they are out to restore interest and support from area residents in Montgomery and Harris counties who haven’t been to the facility in recent years.

Since its management takeover of La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa in November 2012, hospitality executives with Interstate Hotels have been working on a program to revitalize the property and build interest in it as a destination for corporate group meetings and leisure travel.

“The guest rooms and meeting space were in good shape,” said Tim Corder, interim director of sales and marketing. “We’ve changed the gravel parking lots to concrete, upgraded the landscaping and enhanced the recreation areas and food and beverage facilities.”

The upgrades were showcased at a special media event at the resort earlier in the week held for the press and travel industry representatives from Houston and Montgomery County.

Karen Craft, with Houston Family magazine, was impressed with what she saw at the media event hosted by La Torretta.

“The wealth of recreational activities - especially the water park - will appeal to kids and families,” Craft said. “The rooms have been redone - it’s a wonderful resort for families.”

And with its close proximity to Houston, Craft said the resort is a great getaway for busy families who don’t have the time or money for longer vacations outside the region.

“We’re making an effort to reintroduce the property to local residents,” said John Hamait, who took over as general manager three months ago. “We realize it is important to form strong relationships within the community.”

Since its development in the early 1980s, the resort known as Del Lago, now La Torretta, has faced challenges in establishing a consistent marketing strategy. The troubled resort was purchased by Ronnie Ben-Zur and French Quarter VIII in 2007 and opened a year later after an investment of $130 million.

London-based Barclays Capital assumed ownership of La Torretta in December 2011 following the initiation of foreclosure proceedings against French Quarter. Noble House, a management company specializing in upscale hospitality projects, initially was hired to run the operation at La Torretta.

Interstate Hotels operates more than 300 properties across America and dozens more around the world. Unlike Noble House, the hospitality company specializes in more traditional corporate group and social transient hotel projects, compared to upscale resorts.

“Our initial goal is to redevelop the group market in our own back yard - Houston, Dallas and Austin,” Corder said. “We are looking to bring social groups back to the resort.”

To do that, the resort staff says facilities - and pricing strategies - are being fine-tuned to reflect the local market. The upscale, 5-star Chez Roux restaurant, for example, has been converted to a family-style restaurant.